Brandishing a dead-on title, Duplicity (opening Friday) feeds on and extends eight decades of on-screen romantic espionage chicanery. The spy/romance genre more or less began in 1928 with 'Spies,' which inspired all kinds of screen variations.

Instead of the usual frenzied whirlwind of big-money deals and crush of partying wannabes, the annual movie showcase was a more intimate gathering this time, where storytellers didn't have to battle so many swag-mongers for attention. Good movies revealed themselves sooner, and bad ones had nowhere to hide.